Basket liner



Oct. 3, 1933. E. B. HIATT 1,929,065

BASKET LINER Filed Nov. 25. 1929 INVENTQR FY1015. 159m;

M ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 3, 1933 mea s-a s t e sa est emed assessments gardb ar Q ll? mat a 1 -ihaie m f a contmuous strip,

wita-in is a e m e n the ends thereof for temporarily gconnecting the endsybeforqthe liner is positioned upon'a tray .0 or bottom form and within a reinforcing shell,

for packing fruit in the manner disclosed in the patents to E. B. Hiatt Nos. 1,573,341 and 1,603,693. The present liners are generally similar to that disclosed in an application of Frederick A. Read,

J'r., Ser. No. 362,179, filed May 11th, 1929, with improvements consisting in providing the ends of the strip with more positively interlocking connecting formations of different types, as referred to in detail hereafter, and in providing for adjustment, or adjustable action of the connecting devices to accommodate the liner to baskets of varying degrees of taper.

The interlocking or connecting formations are provided'near the ends of the liner strip, and in use as the strip is bent or set up in approximately conical form, these formations are interengaged to maintain the strip in the stated form during packing of fruit in accordance with the wellknown Hiatt method as set forth in the above mentioned patents. After the liner, supported by a shell and inverted upon a packing lid, has been filled with fruit, the external support or shell is removed and thereupon the interlocking formations prevent separation of the ends of the liner so that it properly supports the column of fruit. It will of course be understood that for the purposes of the Hiatt process, the material of the liner is such that it possesses sufficient in herent strength to hold the column of fruit without any other support after the packing shell has been removed. An inverted basket is now placed over the liner with its contained column of fruit and the whole assembly is inverted with a jolt which is sufficient to make the liner yield in one or more places throughout the body thereof, or cause the interlocking formations to be partly or completely ruptured, or to slip relatively, permitting the liner to adjust itself against the basket Wall, and also to adjust itself to baskets of varying diameters, and thus allow the proper settling and compacting of the fruit in the basket.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention are further sufiiciently explained in connection with the following detailed description stir err-ICE.

Enos' B; -Hiatt,:Denver, Cologlassig nor to Thc I Carpcnter Illiattr'iSales ,3p11 1pa.ny,

' (3010;, a corporation :of .Qoloradq i plic tion Novmber'25,"1929 f j Serial N05409493 s 3 I claimsh (Ci. 217-3) Denver,

ofthe accompanying drawing, which shows certain representative embodiments; After considring these examples, skilledpersons "will understand that many variations may be-frn'ade'with out departing from the prinoiples'disclosed, and 60 l contemplate the employment of any structures that are properly within the scope of the -apfFig. 1 v is ayiew of one *of'the liners embodying 6 the inventionfinflat or strip formf- Fig. 2 shows the two ends of the liner being brought together preparatory to interlocking them.

Fig. 3 shows the same connected.

Fig. 4 shows the two ends of a liner, having modified interlocking formations, being brought together for fastening.

Fig. shows the same connected.

The liner consists of a strip of suitable sheet material such as cardboard of moderate strength and stifiness, but of such texture or character as to readily yield and conform to the shape of a fruit basket or vegetable crate, but at the same time strong enough to properly support a column of fruit packed therein, as and for the purposes explained in the above-mentioned Hiatt patents.

The edges 21 of the strip are arcuate to enable it to assume a substantially conical form when set up for use. Usually a plurality of venti- 5 lating holes 22 are punched in the strip, and transverse score lines 23 may also be provided if desired to facilitate folding for shipment of the strips in bundles or to facilitate bending the strip to conical form.

The ends of the strip have cut therein complemental hook formations 30 directed respectively upward and downward from a central point or axis of the strip. When the strip is set up these hooked formations are engaged in a manner which is fully explained in Fig. 3, thus providing a positive interiocking connection of the strip ends. When jolted in the basket, these hook formations may stretch or rupture more or less, with or without accompanying stretching or partial rupture of the strip at various points, to allow for the proper compacting of the fruit in the basket.

In Fig. 4, the ends of the strip are angularly notched at 50 and vertically slit at 51 providing interlocking hooks or tongues 52 with slant edges 53. These hooks are interlocked by an inward and lateral relative movement of the strip ends as they are brought together, as shown in Fig. 5.

It will be understood from the forms specifipe n i s e i pm w v cally shown, that other modifications may be made, principal features of the present invention consisting in the positive nature of the connecting means, and provision for relative pivotal movement of the strip ends to adjust the liner to baskets-Br 'shells:l;'1aving; difierent degrees of taper.

I lai e- 4, 2 "l s a .1 1. A liner for frusto-conical containers having different degrees of taper comprising an arcuate strip of material having at or adjacent its height slits cut in its opposite ends, the slit in-. one end being complementary to the slit in the other end to permit the ends lee-fastened to"- gether by interlocking the 'sl'it'portions, said-slits) constituting, when interlocked, a positive connecting means giving the mid portion of the liner a definite predetermined fixed circumfer ential size, so long as the liner is not tern, while permitting a relative pivotal movementbetween het zrlq k1; s 9 ve vre d s m WP a d wh ei rhcs -before, its application to a "frustog-conical shell-orcontainer. if Y f f 2 Anne; for frustoon'ical containershavin'g erer'it deg'r offtapercompri'sing an arcuate strgipjof firate rlal having at'o'r adjacent "its mid height a transverse 'slitadjacent each end;, s'aid slits being in staggered relation, Withftheftop of it w h t the other Jnd; the strip bottom of a to give relative adjustment of the top and bottom circumferences of the liner before its applic'atiorito a frusto-conical shell or container.

-A liner forIfrusto-conical containers having difierentdegreesof:taper comprising an arcuate strip ofmaterial' having at or adjacent its mid height .L -shaped slits cut in its opposite ends,

m nic-in one end being complementary to the slit in the other end to permit the ends to be fastened together by interlocking the slit portion, said slits constituting, when interlocked, a positive connecting means giving the mid portion of *theliner a definite predetermined fixed cir cumferential size; so long as the liner is not torn,

while permitting'a relative pivotal movement between the interI cked ends to giverelative adjustment of the top and bottomcircumferences of the liner beforeit's application 'toa-frusto conical shell orcontainer. 

